Studio Courses and Academic Honesty

Studio courses present different challenges in regard to plagiarism and academic honesty. Evaluation practices that include an ongoing process through active participation, in-class critiquing, and collaboration can help discourage plagiarism. Some specific examples include:

Rather than evaluating only the final product, evaluate the ongoing process of the students. If the goal is a completed work, in-class showings with regular critiquing encourage the submission of original work. Regular attendance expectations ensure that the development of a student's idea is observed. Their progress can then be acknowledged in the grading scheme.

In courses focusing on creative work or the acquisition of technical skills, journals and process reports can be used as a means through which to learn about an individuals personal experience and perceived progress throughout a course. To prevent the possibility of students writing a full term of journal entries the night before the due date, a series of dates throughout the term can be identified as due dates, with random collection of journals occurring on each date.

When collaboration is desired, request individual submissions to supplement any group report. Ask individuals in the group to report on various aspects of the project or to report on their personal experience of the project.

In discussions about assignments that involve quantitative data, remind students that using someone else's numbers is no different than using someone else's words. If the source of the numbers is not properly acknowledged, then plagiarism has occurred.

When students are expected to comment on the work of others, they can be asked to submit their research notes. Using two columns, one headed with "this scholar/professor/peer says" and the other with "I think", can help students to identify their own ideas in response to the work of others.

Asking students to attach the ticket stub to their submission of a performance review will encourage the desired attendance. Identifying specific works/ performances to be seen helps by restricting the options and therefore the opportunities to engage in practices of academic dishonesty.